The Maze, by Nelson DeMille

At the age of 79, Nelson DeMille could be excused for hanging up his keyboard and calling it quits in the writing of his inimitable thrillers. But his latest has recently appeared, so it seems that he has yet to install the hook on which to hang his keyboard.

His last published novel was The Deserter, which appeared in 2019. It was his first title featuring new characters Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor, and looked to be a promising first title of a new series. I reviewed it in the BFD in May 2020.

My first introduction to Nelson DeMille was the John Corey series, the first title of which, Plum Island, was published in 1997. A further seven titles followed between then and 2015. (Six and a half, really, as The Book Case published in 2012 was a fairly short novelette).

Radiant Angel, published in 2015, was supposed to be the last title in the John Corey series. If you haven’t read any of Nelson DeMille’s books, this is a great series to start with.

John Corey is a really iconic character: a NYPD homicide detective, who becomes an FBI agent working in the federal anti-terrorism task force and then with the diplomatic surveillance group. That was where John finished his career after being forced to retire after being wounded in action. However, apparently DeMille’s fans have been clamouring for more of John Corey. For The Maze, Corey has been dragged out of mothballs at the request of his former lover, Detective Beth Penrose, to help in the catching of a serial murderer. As the plot unwinds it seems that there could be other factors in play, and the whiff of police corruption begins to appear. Many readers of The BFD (and hopefully beyond) have noticed a similar whiff in the air of late in our own neck of the woods.

The story is set on Long Island and, as it is Nelson DeMille’s stamping ground, the descriptions and locations are authentic.

DeMille’s style is attention-grabbing and his books are page-turners. John Corey’s habit of thinking what he would like to say, but then saying something different, requires a constant alertness to the presence or otherwise of speechmarks. All good fun, and the reader will enjoy a lot of chuckles in their journey through this book.

Will this be Nelson DeMille’s last John Corey book? Probably, but you never know…He’s not a prolific author, so will there be any more Nelson DeMille books at all? Apparently his son Alex (a popular thriller writer in his own right) and DeMille senior are currently working on the next title, tentatively entitled Bloodlines. It’s not clear whether this title features John Corey or not.

The Maze was a very enjoyable read, and I recommend it to all thriller readers.

Title: The Maze

Author: Nelson DeMille

Publisher: Scribner (An imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.)

ISBN: 978-1-5011-0178-6 (hardbound); 978-1-5011-0180-9 (ebook)

Publication order of John Corey books